#but also there was this middle aged woman who studies Chinese medicine who kept wanting to argue with the group leader like please stop

[bixy]

went on a group foraging trip thing with friends where this elderly couple explained all the native wildlife and what was brought over by settlers and what is and isn’t edible, lots of info about the local ecology and it was so so cool

[yingyuerc]

Note (skippable): Hi, I’m going to post about my character from Royal Chaos. A lot of stuff here is gonna contradict the canon story in the game but who cares about canon I came here for a good time baby. Anyway I don’t expect anyone to ever read or find this post cause Royal Chaos isn’t very popular on tumblr but I was bored and wanted to break writer’s block. I got very inspired by @sister-ruan and @lady-reinian so thank you guys for posting amazing content!

My Royal Chaos character — Jiang Ying Yue!

Name: Jiang Ying Yue, but call her Ying or Yue for short

Name meaning: Ying Yue means “Reflection on the moon”, Jiang means “river”.

Age: 17 years old.

Birthday: January 21st, she has always celebrated her birthdays on a beautiful winter day.

Western constellation: Capricorn.

Title: Consort decency, upper 2.

Appearance:

Ethnicity: East-asian (chinese) and European (unspecified)

Height: 5′5, or 165 cm.

Hair: Yue has black, straight hair and it’s very long and silky. It reaches below her waist and she usually wears her hair down. Yue takes very good care of her hair and has a strict routine she uses everyday. Yue has a special and expensive jade comb that she uses. She wears golden accessories on her head & hair to enhance her beauty.

Eyes: Ying Yue has sharp, cat-like upturned blue eyes that seem to appear more purple than blue. They’re framed by long, black lashes. Her eyes are a prominent feature to her beauty, and they always appear to be pensive.

Complexion: Yue has a natural olive skin complexion, but she uses pale make up on her face to match the fair skin tones of the other concubines. Although her skin is glowy and sunkissed, a pale complexion is unfortunately the beauty standard in China.

Body shape: Ying’s body is slender, svelte, thin, gracious, elegant after years of serving as a concubine and having to dance and entertain the emperor. She has long legs and soft, dainty features.

Voice: Yue’s voice is sharper and deeper than you expect. Her face is dainty and meek, but her eyes have an edge of sharpness to match her voice. she has a bossy tone when she speaks but still sound as smooth as the dewdrops on a lotus.

Personality:

Personality traits: |Daring|Bold|Brave|Determined|Bright|Clever|Smart|Cunning|Sneaky|Passionate|Ying Yue is a very daring and bold girl. She is not afraid of speaking what’s on her mind and she always faces a challenge head-on. Yue is strong and brave and doesn’t let other people put her down. She is also bright, clever and smart, and she can solve problems easily thanks to her cleverness. Yue enjoys a good challenge such as a good chess match, a tricky word game, or a tough riddle. Although years as serving as a concubine has made her sneaky and cunning, she lies to get what she wants and often work behind the curtains. A mastermind behind a devillish plan. She would do what it takes for the people she cherish. She is very passionate and persuasive.

Hobbies: Ying loves dancing and playing instruments in her free time. She practices dancing a lot and she is very good at it. She plays various chinese instruments as well as western instruments. Ying Yue paints a lot on beautiful days. She enjoys singing in the palace garden when the stars are shining and the moonlight cascades from the sky. Ying Yue adored board games and always play them with Yuexiu. She spends time with Wen Ruyan and solves crosswords-puzzles when Yuexiu is busy.

Likes: Pretty accessories (especially gold), purple, luxurious gowns, board games, puzzles, art, music, dancing, delicious food, sweets.

Dislikes: Being ignored, getting dismissed, disrespectful behavior, rival concubines, being underestimated, worms.

Strengths: Clever mind, very brave, caring for those she loves, an extraordinarily great dancer and musician, good at solving problems.

Weaknesses: Selfish, apathetic toward those she doesn’t care about, appears to be very untrustworthy if you don’t know her.

Misc:

Favorite food: Candied fruits. Especially candied cherry tomatoes.

Favorite color: All shades of purple, but favors Lavender. She often wears purple clothes.

Favorite animal: Koi fish.

Favorite mythological animal: Dragon.

Favorite scent: Lavender, floral scents.

Occupation: Concubine, consort decency.

Love interest: Er, the emperor Consort Nian  

Background:

Financial situation: Poor, any money she hoards from the emperor she immediately sends to her family.

Previous relationships: None, aside from crushing on a dear friend she’ll no longer meet.

Location: China.

Family: Jiang Ying Yue has two brothers and one younger sister. Her brother, Yuan Wu, is 19 years old and is the oldest child in the Jiang family. He’s studying to become a physician, although the family is struggling financially. Yue’s other brother, Zhen Kun, is 15 years old and is the middle child of the family. He spends a lot of his days fishing. The youngest child in the Jiang family — Jiang Lei, 12 years old and loves picking flowers and attending their family garden. Yuan Wu has a sharp intellect, while Zhen Kun is laidback, Jiang Lei is meek and sweet. Ying Yue had a mother and a father, but they tragically drowned when traveling to a foreign land to sell wares. Ying Yue was seven years old when her parents died. She and her siblings had to live in poverty without parents to take care of them. Jiang Lei was often sick and they couldn’t buy her medicine. So when Yuan Wu grew older he wanted to study and become a physician. Meanwhile Ying Yue danced to get enough money for her family, and Zhen Kun sold fish and sea creatures that he found. 

Backstory: Yue was born into a wealthy family that survived off on trading exotic wares and fine silk with foreigners. She and her family lived in a relatively lively village and they had relatives in big cities. Although her relatives had never visited her, or even acknowledged her existence due to her being half-foreigner. Her mother was a western woman with brown hair and peculiar blue eyes. Meanwhile her father was from a wealthy chinese family of merchants. When he married her his family protested and in the end disowned him. They moved to a nearby village and had four children. When Ying Yue was only seven, Yuan Wu nine, Zhen Kun five, and Jiang Lei two years old, their parents passed away by drowning. They were sailing to Yue’s mother’s homeland to sell wares until a storm hit them. Without any parents to look after the children, they had no other choice but to live in poverty. No relatives would help them, and Ying Yue had playmates from the village’s orphanage but they all told her the living conditions at the orphanage was awful and that she was so lucky to have a mother and father. Ying Yue broke down crying, and soon her older brother Yuan Wu decided that they should move into a bigger village, because at least there they’ll have a chance to beg for money from richer merchants and businessmen. Ying Yue was against the idea because she didn’t want to leave her best friend, Xia Lin from the orphanage. Xia Lin was a very stubborn girl, feisty, scheming and cunning. Xia Lin taught Ying Yue a lot and they were the closest of friends. Ying Yue had to say goodbye to her dearest friend and moved to a bigger village with lots of markets and merchants. Since Jiang Lei was only two years old at the time the sudden change of environment affected her the most. She got nervous and very sick, but they couldn’t get her medicine or see a physician. Ying Yue learned how to play and dance to entertain the villagers so she could help her family. Zhen Kun spent a lot of time around the lakes and rivers, occasionally fetching crabs and other sea critters. He sold them cheap to help his family. Yuan Wu wanted to become a physician to help his sister, but of course he was very young and found a physician to mentor him. As the years passed the Jiang siblings grew older. Ying Yue became extraordinarily beautiful, her dance movements more graceful and elegant, and she matured. Yuan Wu wanted to continue studying to finally become a capable physician. Zhen Kun loved fishing and spent most of his time near the water to find food for his family. Jiang Lei’s health improved, but she was still weaker than most girls her age. Unfortunately Yuan Wu couldn’t afford to continue his tuition since the Jiang family lacked money. Zhen Kun’s money from fishing couldn’t help much but feed the family. Jiang Ying Yue only saw one option, she forced herself to become a concubine to help finance her family. Ying Yue was 15 when she entered the palace as a concubine and she has served as one for two years, sending back the luxurious riches to her family. She regularly keeps in contact with them via letters. Yue didn’t like the emperor that much, she faked her nervous giggles and blushes to get money for her family. She doesn’t hate the emperor, in fact she’s very indifferent about him and quite apathetic. But she could never love him. Ying Yue never had time for men and she simply wasn’t interested in them. A lot of dramatic events unfolded, but Jiang Ying Yue kept going strong.

[breabroad]

FAQ

Okay, so who are you? As my About says, I’m Bre, and I run this blog. Hence the blog name, Bre Abroad.

Abroad? Where? Tokyo.

Wow, Tokyo! You’re so lucky! Ehhhhhhh hang on a sec. I get this response almost every time, and it bothers me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy where I live and especially where I work, but I’m not living it up like you probably think I am. I’m living on an English teacher’s salary (even worse - an assistant English teacher’s salary) and I have student loans to pay, and if I’m going to be honest, I thought I would get a rural placement to help me manage the economics of it all. I’m making the most of a surprise.

Uh...okay. You say you enjoy where you live and work - where’s that? I live in Setagaya, the westernmost of the 23 wards of Tokyo (like a borough of NYC). For context, I’m a 15-minute train ride from Shinjuku, the busiest train station in the world and my gateway to the rest of Tokyo. I’ve fondly nicknamed Setagaya “rich people suburbia” because it is - this is where the commuters with nice salaries settle their families. I work at a high school within walking distance of my apartment, as an assistant language teacher (ALT).

How did you get this job with this high school? I applied to the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Program during my last year of university. I’m no JET expert, but as I understand it, it works like this: you’re hired by the Japanese government and they assign you a Board of Education (BOE) to work for, and the BOE in turn assigns you a school. You can list your preference of location in the interview, but ultimately you go where they decide they need you.

Any idea why you ended up in Tokyo? Unlike most Tokyo JETs, I think I can point to two reasons: (1) I mentioned in my interview that I wanted to have access to a doctor to refill medicines, and (2) I mentioned in my application essay that I have a Japanese friend who came from Tokyo and who inspired me to do JET in the first place. When it was time to list my placement preference, I just said “not Hokkaido and not Kyushu” to eliminate the hottest and coldest climates I could think of. I guess I got the true middle, huh?

So what’s your high school like, then? Did you at least request a high school level? I did! All of my teaching experience (running a summer camp in Lithuania, tutoring high school and university peers, teaching English to a 50+-year-old Chinese woman, TAing for an introductory astronomy class) involved high school level or higher, so I’m glad I got the level I know best. My high school is a mid-level school within the BOE1, which means the majority of my students will go to decent universities after they graduate. I’d say it reminds me of my high school - after all, there’s just enough expectation for excellence but just enough laxness to let students explore their passions - but it’s also 75% girls, so that’s a change. I suspect I was assigned to my school in particular because I have an astronomy teaching background, and my school has (duh duh duh) an astronomy club and a rooftop observatory! Not to mention a nap room for the teachers, not that I was really looking for that when I signed up.

Sounds cool! Do you speak any Japanese? I showed up in Japan able to carry on a basic, grammatically incorrect conversation, and I suspect I’ll be at this level for a long while. I’m slowly accumulating vocabulary and grammar, and you’ll see me getting alternatively excited and frustrated by both in this blog. I studied linguistics in university, so I’m probably more excited about these things than you’re used to.

So what’s the point of this blog? I need a place to keep track of all my anecdotes and tidbits. I tried to go without a blog for the first six months of my stay, but every time I’d tell a story to a friend/family member/friend who is like a family member, they’d be like, “Why aren’t you writing this down? This is blog material!” We’ll see about that. Plus, if anyone (e.g. my successor) has any questions about JET, it’ll be nice to have a body of writings to point to, instead of unloading every story I have. I’m quite good at that, but it takes a lot of time.

What kind of stuff can I expect to see in this blog? Not a lot of pictures, because they’d take me ages to manage. When I backpacked through Europe I kept a long journal-style blog, but that also took ages to manage. So I guess I’m going for short stories and insights about (a) my experiences as a teacher, (b) my experiences as a foreigner in Japan, (c) my experiences learning Japanese, and (d) my time traveling around Japan and Asia, if/when I get to it.

Are you planning to post consistently? God no. But I’ll try to post a link to new posts on Facebook around once a month.

What are the biggest things you want to do on JET? Let’s see, by the time I finish my contract in July 2019, I want to have:

Traveled within Japan (I’m thinking mostly big cities, but I’m open to towns if anyone has a specific recommendation)

Traveled around Asia (Korea, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Laos, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India...)

Gotten my Japanese fluency to the point where I can read most signs and have a conversation where I understand everything the other person is saying. Don’t hold me to that

Made friends with JETs and Japanese people alike

Found a way to connect my JET experience to my next steps. (After JET I want to go to grad school and study education, and then work for a university or an education-based nonprofit)

Seen and done enough in Tokyo to be sentimental when I leave.

Cool, cool. You forgot to mention who you are beyond the JET Program, though. Fair. Okay, I come from Colorado, I’m 23 years old, and I studied international affairs and linguistics in university. I’ve been to 27 countries total (US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and most of Europe) and lived in 5, and I can speak fluent English and French, basic Japanese and German, and a smattering of words and phrases in Spanish, Lithuanian, and assorted other languages. My hobbies are reading (books and fanfiction), writing (almost exclusively fanfiction), blogging on tumblr, and stargazing (yes, even in Tokyo). I seem to attract bizarre nerd friends, I adore my younger brother even though he’s too old to like it being advertised, and my family has had a total of eight pet ferrets.

Do you like anime? (Just because you live in Japan and all) Ha ha, yes, I like some anime. My favorite is Hetalia, but I also like Fullmetal Alchemist, Ouran High School Host Club, and Assassination Classroom. I have friends trying to pull me into Attack on Titan and Voltron: Legendary Defender (not a Japanese anime, but I’m counting it anyway). I'll be the first to admit that I’m not nearly as up to date as I should be, but I can have a passable conversation about half of the popular ones because all my friends and my tumblr dash buzz about them.

One last thing: can I come to Tokyo and crash on your couch? If I know you already, sure!

[readingbank-blog]

Symptoms of Backsliding

And there shall be SIGNS...when ye see these things...KNOW...

Luke 21:25-31

In the field of medicine a symptom or sign is the outward clue of something dangerous. Often when you are searching for something that is hidden, you look out for clues to lead you. Symptoms and signs help doctors to make the right diagnosis.

Symptoms Reveal the Condition

A symptom is meaningless to the unlearned, but important to the learned. If a symptom is detected early it can save a life. When a doctor detects certain signs, he knows that the patient's life is in danger. But a layman may have no idea of what is going on.

When the hand of a patient shows certain signs, it is an indication of a serious disease in the liver. What has the hand got to do with the liver? They are so far apart anyway. But it may surprise you to know that a shaking and jerking hand could indicate liver failure. To the unlearned, that shaking hand is just an unusual spasm. Some may even think that it is a sign of the anointing!

The pancreas is located somewhere deep in the abdomen. How can you know whether the pancreas is working or not? The only way to know is to look out for certain symptoms or signs.

I once noticed a middle-aged person drinking a lot of water and passing a lot of urine. This person was fat and overweight. As a medical doctor I immediately thought, "Perhaps this person is diabetic and doesn't even know it. There may be something wrong with his pancreas." It was an important sign to me.

When you are learned in certain fields you will notice things that others do not.

As you read this book you will learn about some of the symptoms which give an indication that a person is backsliding spiritually. And this person may be you! May you become spiritually alert, and not take certain things for granted anymore after reading this section.

Symptoms of the Soul

As scientists search for signs to know what is going on inside the BODY of a man, we must also look for the signs that uncover what is happening inside the SOUL of a man.

The early detection of some of these symptoms can save a believer from backsliding and going to hell. Knowledge of the existence of these symptoms can give you staying power for the Christian race.

There is no point in regularly attending church, knowing the Lord, and later dying as a backslider! Why should I spend all my years preaching and later become a castaway? Why do the Lord's work today, and serve the devil tomorrow?

This is a picture of what happened to the five foolish virgins (Matthew 25). They were all virgins, all ten of them, but five were foolish and five were wise. All of them had oil at a certain point in time. Later on when it really mattered some of them didn't have oil. Perhaps the year before they were all zealous and anointed with oil. But at the end of it all, some of them had dropped away.

I am teaching on these symptoms and signs of backsliding, because many Christians display these symptoms. If you detect any of these symptoms in yourself, know that you may be on a dangerous path to destruction.

Let's read on.

Bad Company

Experience in the ministry has taught me to take note of any Christian who keeps bad company. It is a very bad symptom, with a very poor prognosis. Bad company will eventually lead you to bad places. When you see a Christian who has bad friends, it is likely he will find his way out of church one-day.

Bad company ruins good morals.

1 Corinthians 15:33 (Revised Standard Version)

There is a saying: “Birds of the same feather flock together.”

One Ghanaian proverb can be rendered: "Show me your friend, and I will show you your character." This means that we can tell the kind of person you are by just looking at the kind of friends you have.

Within every large church there are smaller groups of Christians. When you observe these groups, you will discover that they are people with the same kind of “feather”. The friends you move with will either lead you to church or to bad places.

If you are a real believer and you want to remain in Christ, then you need to have good friends. They should be real born-again Christians, who attend a “born-again” church. They must believe the things you believe. You must go to church together. Your friends must not have anything against your going to church. If they do, they must not be your friends!

“Do” Them Before They “Do” You

If you keep bad friends they will eventually convert you, or you will convert them. We had this saying in my school, (Achimota School) "Do them before they do you." This is a warning to influence your friends before they influence you!

The way to deal with bad company is to convert them and bring them to Christ, before they cause you to backslide.

This, you must realize, requires a lot of wisdom and if you are not a stable Christian yourself, don't attempt converting your bad friends - you may fall away!

Can Your Wife Be Bad Company?

Some people do not realise that the person they marry will keep them company for the rest of their lives, and this 'marital company' will truly affect you. This is how King Solomon, who built the temple and accomplished great things for the Lord, eventually backslid. The Bible tells us that his wives turned his heart away from God. Solomon's wives were bad company for him.

You do not need to expose yourself to the circumstances of bad company. You are not more anointed than Solomon. If the Bible warns that bad company can ruin your life, you'd better believe it and save yourself!

Every wife affects her husband, and every husband has great influence over his wife. Whoever you are, your wife will influence the way you think. If your husband thinks in a certain way, in the process of time, you will eventually think in the same way.

I remember a sweet old lady who had nothing against other races. However, after being married for many years to a racist, she became prejudiced herself.

If your wife does not want you to be in the ministry, you will not be in the ministry. I know this from experience. If my wife had opposed my going into the ministry, I don't think I would have been able to come this far. That is why I am very concerned about who my pastors get married to.

Bad company - whether friends, brothers, husbands, or wives - will lead to backsliding.

Stay clear!

Looking Backwards

In Genesis 19, we can study the testimony of Lot and his wife. Two angels were sent to Lot and his family in Sodom and Gomorrah. Their message was simple:

…Escape for thy life, LOOK NOT BEHIND THEE…lest thou be consumed.

Genesis 19:17

But the Bible declares that Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt.

Jesus also reminds us of the terrible mistake that Lot's wife made as she was escaping from Sodom and Gomorrah.

She was the only member of the family who looked back at her past. We can liken this to believers who backslid because they kept looking back at the world and all it had to offer.

As born-again believers, God has delivered all of us from sin, and it is important that we do not look back.

I Went out with Many Men

I always remember the story of a lady who stood before a Christian group to testify. She happily recounted what she had done as an unbeliever:

"I used to go out with many men. They would pick me up to party with me at nightclubs and discos. I danced all night with them. It was great." She said.

With great excitement in her voice, she told the Christians: "I travelled all over the world with them. We really had a good time."

Then her voice dropped and she sadly said, “But I got saved, and here I am in church."

To her, salvation was rather the “bad” thing that happened to her. It was as though being saved was an unfortunate experience. This woman was looking back to the expensive cars, the chinese restaurants and the “good” times she had had as an unbeliever. If you keep on thinking and remembering your past sinful life with nostalgia, you will turn into “a pillar of salt”!

When you see a married woman who talks with excitement about her past boyfriends, then you are looking at a woman who may not be happy where she is.

It is most probable that she may want to go back to her “great” guys.

You will go back if you keep looking back. And you will fall if you keep looking backwards.

I am looking ahead, and I intend to go forward with God's work. As a medical doctor in full-time ministry, I could look back and consider returning to the practice of medicine.

There are times when I can remember the peculiar smell of the hospital. I remember those days when I walked the wards and heard the patients call, “Dr. Mills", "Please, Dr. Mills." But I am not looking back. I am going forward, preaching, teaching and planting churches all over the world. I have no intention of going back to the full-time practice of medicine.

If there is a longing in your heart to go backwards or to look backwards, then you are manifesting a dangerous symptom of backsliding. Come before the Lord and ask Him to help you “kill” that interest in the past. Let it die!

Over-Confidence

An over-confident person is someone who has too much trust in his abilities. It is dangerous to be over-confident as a Christian. Being too confident in your righteousness and in your own spirituality is a bad sign.

…Let him that THINKETH HE STANDETH take heed lest he fall.

1 Corinthians 10:12

If you regard yourself or your position in Christ as foolproof, you are in danger of backsliding - especially, if you have had promotion in church, or have been used by God in the past.

I have heard some Christians boast, “I will never fornicate, I cannot simply do it." This is over-confidence. It reminds me of a particular brother in my church who would regularly come to me and say: "Pastor, your church is so good; I will never leave Lighthouse Chapel." He spoke about his commitment to me and to the church with such conviction. A few months later, he walked out of the church and never returned.

Satan Smiles at Boasting Christians

When a Christian continues to boast about his strength, Satan hears him and decides to test him. Such a person is a potential backslider.

Where you are over-confident is where you can be the weakest, because you have dropped your guard.

You can also tell that a Christian is over-confident by the way he talks about the weaknesses of others. I have heard Christians criticize others as though they could never make the same mistakes. They overestimate their own ability, and look down on others.

Do Not Laugh at Them

You need to be humble; otherwise one day you will find yourself in the same shoes, much to your own surprise. Staying on the right track is largely by the grace of God, and not by your own strength.

When David heard that Saul was dead, he didn't ridicule him or rejoice over his death. David could have lashed out at Saul and criticized him at that time. He could have taken the opportunity to talk about how Saul had been disobedient and stubborn. He could have discussed what led to Saul's downfall. Instead he declared,

Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon...

2 Samuel 1:20

Although David did not have a problem with stubbornness and disobedience, he did not venture to denounce his predecessor because of his weaknesses. We must all learn something from this example.

…Let him that THINKETH HE STANDETH TAKE HEED lest he fall.

1 Corinthians 10:12

Stubbornness

The next symptom of backsliding is stubbornness. A stubborn person is prone to falling away.

The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways…

Proverbs 14:14

If you know a stubborn Christian who does not heed counsel, but will always do what he wants to do in spite of all advice, you are looking at a potential backslider.

And my people are BENT TO BACKSLIDING from me...

Hosea 11:7

Often I would counsel Christians and find at the end of the session that they are still set in their ways. They are bent on doing their own thing. Everybody needs advice. The Bible says there is safety in the multitude of counsel.

Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.

Ecclesiastes 4:13

I remember counselling a young lady not to continue in a certain unhealthy relationship.

Are You Different from the Other Girls?

I asked, "What makes you different from the other girls he has thrown away? He has had 17 girlfriends, and you are the 18th. The only difference between you and the others is that you are new to him. But one day you will become 'old' just like the others. And he will then throw you away." In spite of this admonition, she persisted in her ways.

Is there anybody who was mightily blessed by God although he was stubborn and rebellious? Never! Stubbornness to God, to His Word, to His pastors and to biblical counsel is a sign that backsliding is imminent.

Christian Surprises

There is something I call “Christian surprises”. “Christian surprises” are surprises that are unique to the Christian experience. These are shocks you experience in the course of your Christian walk. Unfortunately, some people get so shocked by what they see and hear in church that it actually makes them fall away.

As we grow as Christians, we will encounter these Christian surprises. Most of us are quite naïve when we become Christians. We think we have come into a perfect world.

So, when the so-called born-again saints disappoint us we become so amazed. We can't believe it's true. But the Bible says we should not be amazed. A shocked or amazed Christian can easily fall away from the faith.

...as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any AMAZEMENT.

1 Peter 3:6

…and let nothing terrify you - not giving way to hysterical fears or letting anxieties unnerve you.

1 Peter 3:6 (Amplified Bible)

Being in a state of shock is being in a dangerous condition. Any good doctor who sees a patient in a state of shock knows that he is dealing with someone who can easily pop off and die. Any experienced pastor who sees his members in a state of shock and surprise at what may have happened in the church also knows that he is looking at a member who can easily fall away.

All Leaders Are Human!

One of the things that may cause Christians to fall away is disappointment in a Christian leader. Sometimes your leader can disappoint you beyond measure. Samson, David, Peter and other mighty leaders made mistakes. That could have disappointed their followers, and caused them to backslide.

The Bible tells pastors not to be greedy, pompous or lord their authority over others. It states clearly that pastors should not run after money, or women. God's ministers are supposed to do His work from their hearts.

The very fact that the Bible speaks about all of these things means that Christian leaders can do them (and have done them)!

These days one of the favourite activities of the press is to write stories about fallen men of God.

Some pastors have been involved in sex, money and breakaway scandals.

Christians have been surprised at such behavior coming from the people they have loved and looked up to for many years. Such surprising behavior often destabilizes hitherto 'stable' believers. But remember the Word of God.

... there is no new thing under the sun. Is there anything whereof it may be said, See this is new? it hath been already of old time...

Ecclesiastes 1:9, 10

If you have all through your Christian life, put your trust in a man, then it is very likely that you will be disappointed.

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

Paul said, "Follow me as I follow Christ." Which means you can only follow your Christian leader as long as he follows Christ! I often tell my church, "The day I stop following Christ, is the day you stop following me".

I remember when some great men of God in the United States fell into sin, many Christians also fell away from the faith with them. Why was this so? They had experienced a Christian surprise. But they needn't have fallen. If you fix your eyes on Christ (looking unto Jesus), you will be a stable Christian.

Christians may also become surprised when they pray, but do not get the answers they expect. A close member of the family may be terminally ill, or you may have been praying for your husband to be saved, only to see him get worse. You can easily feel surprised and shocked that God has ignored your prayers.

Do not be surprised! It is not everything that you know. I hope you know that! You are still learning, and you are still growing in the Lord.

I Was Surprised!

I remember one time when I was travelling to Tamale, a town in the northern part of Ghana. I was driving with the pastors of our branches in Kumasi, Zurich and a Canadian trainee pastor. On the highway, two bicycle riders suddenly crossed my path.

I had to apply the brakes immediately in order to avoid hitting them. When I did this, my car began to skid, and before I could say 'Jack Robinson', we were somersaulting in the air. The car eventually rolled to a halt some 30 metres off the road. We were now literally upside down, with the wheels of the car in the air!

When we all came out alive and well, I must admit that I was surprised - and almost angry with God. Why should God allow such a thing to happen to us? Didn't He know that we were all pastors travelling only to do more of His work?

However, a few days later the Spirit of God ministered certain things to me privately.

One thing I can tell you that He said to me was, "Instead of being angry and surprised, you should be grateful that I have allowed this to happen in order to draw your attention to something very important for your life and ministry".

You may not understand this now, but as you grow in Christ you will understand it better by and by.

Surprisingly, Jesus Did Not Heal Everyone!

When Jesus was here, He did not heal everybody. Jesus went to the pool of Bethsaida, a place that had a host of sick people. (That is the equivalent of a modern hospital.)

But he only healed one man, who had been sick for 38 years.

Why didn't He heal any of the others? Jesus said, "My Father works, and I work". Jesus meant that he was doing exactly what His Father was doing. Should we be surprised at this move of Christ? We have to learn to trust in the Sovereignty of God and not be annoyed with Him.

The Disciples Were Surprised!

The arrest and crucifixion of Christ surprised the disciples. A week before He had sat on a donkey and the crowds had cheered Him. They hailed and sang, "Hosanna, blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord!"

The disciples knew that He was a great man. But a week later he was killed on the cross like a common criminal.

They must have been very surprised. As we all know, these frightened, surprised and disappointed disciples deserted their Saviour and were scattered. This is the equivalent of backsliding.

I Try Not to Be Surprised

Ever since I became a pastor, the lifestyles, habits and practices of some Christian leaders have surprised me. But I have had to teach myself not to be surprised anymore. What has been even more bewildering is the duality of some ministers. I remember one minister who spoke of committing fornication almost as if it was an everyday occurrence in his life. Yet this man was the pastor of a church. Time and time again, I have had to brace myself and decide not to be astonished or amazed by what goes on around me. Otherwise I may have left the Ministry by now!

Decide not to be surprised, astonished, dazed, bewildered, or even angry with some of the things you see in Christianity. Keep your focus on Christ and His Word.

To Be Easily Offended

When you see someone who is very touchy, easily hurt and offended, you are looking at a potential backslider.

I remember one absentee church member whom we visited. We wanted to know why she was not in church anymore.

She told us that once, when she came in late, the ushers wrongly seated her and later relocated her. This had happened more than once. So she became offended and decided not to come to church anymore. This person was offended by the inexperienced usher and simply left the church. Imagine that!

Some church members are irritated because the pastor does not seem to remember their names. Others are offended because the pastor did not say hello when he met them in town. Think about this for a moment; why would the pastor delibrately not say hello to his own church member? Does it make sense? Is he trying to gather people or to scatter and offend them? Could it not be that the pastor didn't recognize you, or that he genuinely did not notice you? Think about it!

A Touchy Person Is Difficult to Live With

If you marry a touchy person, you will always have problems. They are the ones who complain, "Why didn't you smile today? I put my toothbrush in the center, why have you moved it to the right? How come the towel is wet? Don't leave my towel on the bed. Why have you put my shoes here instead of there?" It's very difficult to live with people like that. They are not only difficult marriage partners, but also difficult church members for the pastor. They can even become offended with God Himself!

My Father Died Whilst I Prayed

If I were to be easily offended, I would not have been able to continue in the ministry. Some years ago, I travelled from Ghana to start a church in Zurich. While I was fasting and praying to establish God's work, my father died back home in Ghana.

Throughout the week before he died, he had been seriously ill, but I wasn't fully informed about what was going on. Then one day after I had been praying and fasting for 5 days and nights, my father died about 11 O'clock in the morning.

One of my associate pastors called to inform me about what had happened. I was shocked and surprised. And when I put the phone down, I wept like a baby.

I had every reason to be offended with God. Wasn't I on the mission field, doing His work? I consoled myself that I would understand it better by and by and truly, I have not become disillusioned with the ministry. I am pressing on!

If a Christian easily gets hurt, he is likely to backslide!

by Dag Heward-Mills